October 23, 2011, by Carolyn

There’s lots we could chat about here, but it’s 9 pm on Sunday, Caleb’s snoozing, and I have a glass of wine and full TIVO queue calling my name. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the past month or so. One of these days I’ll get around to filling you in on all the details, though I can sum it up in a few words…Our world revolves around Caleb, and we’re quite content with that.

September 6, 2011, by Carolyn

August 13, 2011, by Kyle

A close friend made a comment about how we handled the early days of this journey that has really stuck with me…Hodges Happy. In short, even when the situation or circumstances are daunting, we still manage to find perspective and remain optimistic about the eventual outcome. I frequently ask Caleb if he is Hodges Happy and more often than not his response comes in the form of a big smile, a chuckle, and then a little baby talk. Of course, I take this as an acknowledgement that he is indeed Hodges Happy. He demonstrates this in many ways and his teachers at daycare comment on how happy and easygoing he is everyday. Needless to say, hearing this and seeing Caleb’s continued progress is all Carolyn and I can ask for.

Here are a few updates on what’s transpired in the last month:

Orajel works to a certain point but not enough to get Caleb through the night. He has two teeth now but lost a bit of sleep along the way. He still woke up excited each morning after those long nights but also thought that Carolyn and I could take naps during the day as well to catch up on sleep.

We are averaging 3-4 doctor’s visits, screenings, and therapy sessions a month. We keep getting positive feedback on his clinical progress and his therapy sessions are are really helping with his motor development.

Wow, can the kid eat. It was a little over 7 months ago that we were worried about his ability to suck, swallow, and breath to eat by mouth. Now we can’t shovel the food in fast enough without him reaching out of his high chair for more. He has tried a pretty extensive list of fruits and vegetables, and today we started incorporating spices. Carolyn added some curry to his lentils and he didn’t spit it out.

He is fascinated by peek-a-boo, loves Pooh Bear, and can’t get enough of his exersaucer. I am thrilled that these activities get him so riled up but I can’t wait for him to start talking so we can fill our autumn Saturdays with discussions about college football. Until then, we are tickled to watch Caleb attempt to jump out of his exersaucer and play with Pooh Bear, as these are all little reminders that he is indeed Hodges Happy.